Gianfranco Alessandria

Gianfranco Alessandria is one of my favorite producers in the Monforte d'Alba township. He runs this boutique estate with his wife Bruna and his young daughter Vittoria. They farm 5.5 hectares of vines (that they own) plus an additional 1.5 hectares that are rented. I remember meeting Vittoria as a teen as she worked expertly in the winery and did most of the heavy lifting. She is a great example of the newest generation of vintners to tame the beautiful Nebbiolo grape. MONICA LARNER

Gianfranco Alessandria is one of the most consistent growers in Barolo. His wines are reliably outstanding, drink well young and also age beautifully. ANTONIO GALLONI

The thing I admire most about these wines is that Gianfranco has an uncanny knack of of turning out balanced and communally expressive wine. They're never extracted, never unbalanced in terms of oak usage, always redolent of Monforte's ferrous soils and always stupidly inexpensive for their quality. All this comes again from hard work in the vineyard where the family spend most of their time (including Gianfranco's Mum at the age of 70+) and a sensitive approach in the cellar. While modern in approach, Alessandria's wines put Monforte first. I love and admire them and recommend them highly. PWS